Written by: Rasa Pakeltienė, ICA

Scaling Nature-Based Solutions in European Education: Lessons from the ᴇNᴀBʟS Policy Workshop

On 23 September 2026, the ᴇNᴀBʟS project hosted the International Policy Workshop on “Policy Recommendations on Nature-Based Solutions for Education” in Brussels at the Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the European Union. Supported by the Lithuanian Science and Innovation Liaison and Competence Office in Brussels (LINO), the event brought together educators, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners across Europe – including representatives from the European Commission, national/regional authorities, higher education institutions, NGOs, and European sustainability initiatives.

The workshop served as a key milestone for ᴇNᴀBʟS, building directly upon the outcomes of seven national Living Lab policy workshops conducted between February and May 2026 across partner countries: Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, and the Netherlands. Engaging 176 stakeholders across academia, government, and industry, these preliminary sessions identified challenges, opportunities, and policy needs for integrating Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) into education systems, with a specific focus on Higher Education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to help halt biodiversity loss at national levels.

Key Obstacles & Structural Challenges

While local focus areas varied across partner countries, discussions highlighted a central shared challenge: Europe does not lack innovative pilot projects. Instead, the main obstacle is creating stable, long-term institutional conditions so NBS becomes a permanent feature of educational systems rather than disappearing when temporary grants end. Lasting progress continues to be constrained by:

• Disciplinary silos
• Overloaded curricula
• Reliance on short-term project funding

Panel Highlights & Interdisciplinary Perspectives

A central feature of the workshop was an interdisciplinary panel of key experts and policy leaders:

• Susanna Gionfra (Policy Officer Biodiversity & NBS, European Research Executive Agency, European Commission)
• Cassie Hague (Analyst, OECD’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation)
• Katerina Vigkou (Sustainability and Digital Education Coordinator, OSGES)
• Tremeut Deniot (European Education Expert, former lead of the Education for Climate Coalition)
• Jyri Wuorisalo (RDI Advisor, Savonia University of Applied Sciences & EU Climate Pact Ambassador)

Panel debates and interactive breakout sessions focused on bridging the gap between competence frameworks and real-world classrooms. Experts emphasised the need to build institutional memory – such as active communities of practice and open-access repositories – so momentum endures beyond individual project lifecycles.

Key Recommendations for Policy & Practice

Breakout discussions and collaborative sessions yielded actionable insights to shape future policy directions at both European and national levels:

1. Empower Educators: Provide teachers and lecturers with dedicated professional development time, explicit career incentives for transdisciplinary teaching, and accessible multilingual teaching materials.
2. Bridge Theory and Practice: Close the gap between research and implementation through hands-on skill development, interdisciplinary thinking, and campus-based Living Labs backed by clear long-term governance, maintenance, and liability frameworks.
3. Move Beyond Project Dependency: Shift away from 3-year funding vulnerabilities. European Union and national policies must mandate continuity to transform successful pilots into standard institutional practices.
4. Consolidate Knowledge: Establish permanent repositories and cross-project networks to preserve insights and materials beyond individual grant periods.
5. Adopt a Systemic, Whole-Institution Approach: Move past adding isolated course modules. Embed sustainability across entire institutions using frameworks like GreenComp.

Outcomes and Next Steps

The workshop concluded with a plenary session synthesising feedback, establishing a clear roadmap for finalising the ᴇNᴀBʟS Policy Recommendations on Nature-Based Solutions for Education. The final document will deliver practical guidance for policymakers and stakeholders seeking to advance sustainability through education, with highlights and the final publication to be shared across ᴇNᴀBʟS communication channels.

Agenda

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